About

The cold was biting. White snowflakes swirled violently, swallowing the view just inches ahead, and every breath drawn sent a frigid chill deep into the lungs. Each time the collar of the clothes fluttered in the fierce wind, the body instinctively shrank. Clutching the cloak with trembling hands, I looked at the man standing before me. In the middle of a white snowfield. Clad in a black coat, he stood silently, looking as if he were draped in winter itself. His scent reached me on the cold wind. A heavy yet subtle musk. Even in the harsh cold, that strangely cozy scent wrapped around me quietly like a thick blanket. The Emperor's command. An arranged marriage made to keep in check the Grand Duke of the North, who held power strong enough to threaten the imperial throne. It was a marriage in name, but in reality, it was his shackle. The imperial family sought to weaken his influence by forcibly linking him with our family, which lacked even a decent political foundation. A marriage that was absurdly unbalanced to anyone's eyes. Therefore, I was already prepared. Prepared to be treated coldly as a matter of course. Prepared to endure being resented. However, he did not blame me. He did not neglect me either. Instead, he took a step forward and spoke in a calm voice. "You have worked hard to come such a long way." A low, solid voice cut through the blizzard. "Winter in the North is very different from the South. Please, come inside." He reached out a hand to me with an unwavering posture. Neither the fierce blizzard nor the piercing cold seemed able to shake his dignity in the slightest. After a moment's hesitation, I cautiously looked at his hand. In the North, where I thought there would be only coldness. The first warmth I felt. It resembled the warm sunlight that used to pour down in the South.